Empty Promises
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: Feeling extremely neglected and overshadowed at home,Megan accepts a plane ticket to go see her long lost father in New York.What does this man truly want and how will it invovle a certain superhero?D&J/Spiderman crossover.
1. Three letters

Early summer 2008,San Diego...

Megan Parker walked down the winding,little path through her front yard where young hedge buds were trimmed and surrounding the wide expanse of green grass.It was an expectionally beautiful day after the previous rain.

"Morning,Miss Parker."The African American mailman greeted her.

"Hi,Arnold."she said,wringing her hands anxiously behind her in attempt not to appear anxious.It was important she didn't let on her excitement.

"Lovely weather today,isn't it?"He flashed her a polite smile and stowed the mail in the large,bricked mailbox."A perfect day for a little swimming."

"It sure is."Megan agreed with a smile of her own._Please leave_.

"You have a nice day now."With a tip of his blue hat,he walked off.

As soon as he was well onto the next house and his view of her was cut off by a large pile of gradually decaying bush limbs Walter hadn't gotten around to throwing away yet,Megan practically charged for the mailbox.

With only one objective in mind:Seeing if she had unscrambled a hidden code correctly that was sent off two weeks ago in order to win a pair of free tickets to the Jonas Brother's concert in June.Two front to be exact.

She opened the metal door and pulled out a generous stack of mail from the slot.Electric bill,car insurance,a magazine titled How To Handle Less-then-Successful husbands,bank statement and then three letters that were addressed to her and her brothers.She tore open hers eagerly to reveal...

_Dear Megan,_

_I know we haven't talked_-

Megan abruptly stopped reading the letter to check the return address.

_Andrew Parker_._Brooklyn,New York.Johnson ST. 10017_.

This letter was from her father.

"Outta my way!"Josh hollered out spastically as he struggled to haul back a straining Drake from reaching out and grabbing the letters from Megan.

"Drake,"she released a breath of incredulousness."You won't believe this but I've got a letter from our dad.After eight years he's actually written us."

"Great Megs."Drake said absently as he managed to get Josh in a tight head lock and rip the remaining two letters from her hands."Ha,got'em!"

In a single rip he tore open his letter;in the middle.As he stood there in a gawking state,Josh seized the opportunity to nail his brother in the belly and make away with the remaining letter.Slowly,he slit it open with a nail.

"Well,"Megan said impatiently."Any day now,Sir Boobs Alot."

"You can't rush suspense."he argued and tore it open quickly anyways.

They both waited as a look of sheer amazement spread onto his face.

"I've gotten my acceptance letter into Yale!"

It was Drake's turn to look overjoyed as he connected the sheets back together."Dude,they want me to go on a music tour all summer."his grin reached from ear-to-ear as he looked up at them."In London England."

"That's...great."Megan glanced down at her letter and folded it up to put in her pocket as the guys raced back into the house.Her real father had put off contacting his family for eight years,a few more hours wouldn't matter.

x.x.x

"You guys didn't have to throw us a party,"Josh said modestly."Seriously, I know we've been having an awesome year so far but this is kind of a lot."

"You've earned it."Audrey insisted,moving some of her red hair behind her ear."Besides,how often does someone's child get an acceptance to Yale?"

"Or get to go on a summer long concert tour?"Walter added with a laugh.

Drake looked up from devouring his fourth slice of cobbler."Is that some sort of trick question?"he asked,confused.Seeing that it wasn't,he set his plate down."I see what you mean though.It also means no college issues."

"Drake!"his mother shot him a look of disbelief."You'll have to go sooner or later.You still haven't gotten a letter from the university but still you'll-"

"Mom,I'm 18."

"He is right,you know."Walter confirmed and gave both boys a thump on the back from where he sat in the center of the sofa."And you know what happens after you all move out,right?"he winked over at his wife."_Right_..."

"Which we'll discuss at the right time."She replied.Drake and Megan both cringed while Josh sat looking puzzled.What could his dad mean by that?

"Mom,"Megan sat down on the arm rest of the recliner,pasting on a smile that she hoped looked assuring."What would you say if someone we use-"

"Speaking of letters,"Walter intervened."Where's the rest of them?"

Her mind drifted temporaily away and back to the rest of the mail all over the sidewalk."Um...vultures.Big nasty ones ate them.Now,Mom,I've got-"

The phone ringing suddenly startled everyone to attention.Drake reached over to pick up the phone and answered it still a bit startled.Frowning at it, he turned the phone over to Josh who took it with a slightly curious "hello".

"Hey,Mindy.Guess what..."he trailed as she apparently was talking faster and over him."What?No way.You solved a puzzle to go see that Joseph band in June this summer?"Megan could feel the urge to scream out loud.

Even if the Boob couldn't get their names right,he knew how much she'd wanted to see them live.Her room was decked out in Jonas Brother stuff.

"Sure,Hon.I'd love to go."he said the unthinkable."I've got news too."

As he retired up to his room,Drake went in for fifths and Walter rushed out to the front lawn,Megan felt a hand sliding down by her thigh.She turned to see her mother had pulled the folded slip of paper from her father out of it.

"What's this?"she inquired,smoothing the slightly wrinkled message out on the coffee table."I thought you were texting instead of passing notes now."

"Mom..."Megan began uncertainly.

...Her mother's eyes skimmed the words._Dear Megan,_

_I know we haven't talked in quite some time,I wouldn't blame you if you didn't even remember me.But I want you to know I've thought of you often.I didn't have your address so I couldn't keep in contact but I forunately came across it by looking up your brother on the internet._

_He's become quite a handsome-looking rockstar like his father.Well, without the rockstar part.Listen,I know it's asking a lot but I'd love to send for you this summer vacation for a few weeks.I've enclosed a plane ticket and my home and work number.You can call anytime._

_Just make sure you call before telling your mother,we wouldn't want to give her a heart attack would we?Small joke.I look very forward to hearing from you.I bet you've grown into such a amazing big girl._

_Or should I say young woman?_

_All my love,_

_Dad._

There was a quick "cha" sound and the letter was in half.This time it was not the error of a hasty move to open a letter,it was with the intention of it never being read again.Megan stared at her fuming mother,turning pale-ish.

"Don't you _ever_ let me catch you trying to contact that man."she told her in a firm,demanding tone."He's nothing but a lot of talk and empty promises."

"Why haven't we talked to him in years?"Megan worked up the nerve to ask,she had never seen her mom this way.Totally engulfed in rage like this.

"It doesn't matter."Audrey told her,nearly snapping."You will not contact him at all.I'm throwing all of this garbage away and that'll be the end of it."

"But Mom,you've never even told us why he's like that."

"I have my reasons!"

"What reasons?!Why!"

That's when the even more unthinkable happened,Audrey slapped her.The touch that was normally used to comfort was used to redden her cheek,to cease the onslaught of questions fired at her.It had been her only defense.

"I'm sorry,"she said after a moment,ignoring the stinging on her daugther's cheek."I'm sorry,Megan.But you are too young to understand any of this."

The room was completely silent after her mother stalked away up stairs and Walter came back in with the bills.He gave Megan a questioning look but started up the stairs,oblivious to the scene prior to his re-entrance.Just as well,Megan started over to the foot of the steps herself and took a seat.

Drake hadn't even noticed from his concentration on the stupid cobbler,now he got up and was taking off for outside.

"I can't believe I got into Yale either,Mindy."Josh's voice echoed."And the fact that I get to go with you to see your favorite band sweetens the deal."

She got up and moved into the kitchen to grab a diet soda,through the vent above she could hear her mother actually,amazingly cursing.Megan paused from closing the fridge and heard it,the sound of the family paper shredder.

"That idiot Andy."she panted angrily."I'll burn this boarding pass tonight so Megan will never have to have a one-way ticket to his tricks like I use to."

And that was it.Megan knew she would have to intercept that pass before her mother got to accomplish such an underhanded method.She was going to New York,where one person might just give a darn about what she did.

Might just care about what she accomplished.

To be continued...


	2. The mystery man

**A/N:**This does take place after Spiderman 3.Thank you for R&Ring.

The same day,New York...

Peter Parker lifted an old volume of dictionaries from the attic of his aunt's home,which wasn't hard even with one hand.A few days ago he had fractured his arm while lifting up a cherry picker off it's side.He had managed to webshoot himself up onto a building edge.

But from that point on,it was impossible for him to travel that way. The arm had been set and placed in a cast;signed by MJ of course.

It would mend fast,Peter didn't doubt that.But with a new job as a Nurse's Aid at the hospital too far and expensive for a cab and his disdain for all things buses,he had decided to get a drivers' licence.

To go about doing that he had to find a copy of his birth certificate and actually own a vehicle;made possible by his best friend willing him his.Now all he had to do was find just the right legal residence.

_This is the hundredth box I've peered into,_Peter thought with a frown creasing his brow._Please let this be the one I find it inside_.

With that current mindscape,he set the thickly binded books aside and uncovered a manilla envelope amongst musty old pictures in tarnished frames.Peter picked it up in and examined it on his level.It was ordinary-looking and unmarked but he felt that it held papers.

Gently sliding it's contents to the floor,he was relieved to find that a birth certificate which was the first one on top of the stack.His last name popped up instantly,mainly because it was the first and only recoginzable aspect Peter saw.The first name on it read _Andrew_.

_Andrew Benjamin Parker_.It read that the man's parents had been named Benjamin and May Parker.Peter could just barely catch his breath,his aunt and uncle had a son whom they'd never mentioned.

San Diego,the next morning...

The men came downstairs to a gasp-worthy sight.Audrey stood in her pajamas staring out the open door,her fingers clasped around the silver bulb of the door knob and her body stiffened in intensity.

"Mom,"Drake immediately went to his mother's side,taking her arm and trying to move her a bit too fast."Why are you standing here?"

Walter ushered the two young men aside and tried to gently steer his wife if the direction of the coach."Come sit down,"he said in the most calmest of voice he could muster."Come sit down beside me."

Those words echoed around Audrey,swirled around within her just long enough to strike a vessel of harsh remembrance and she broke away from his gudiance,glaring at him.He dawned a confused look.

"Stay away from me,"she said in a low voice.Upon turning to see the reactions on her boy's faces,Audrey shook her head."Oh God, what's gotten into me.I've been up all night with the door opened."

"Honey,"Walter took her by the shoulders."What has happened?"

A few stray tears slid down her cheek and she placed her head into his chest,burying herself."Megan's been tricked.She's been tricked into thinking that _monster _of a man cares about her.Sh-she left us."

Drake and Josh exchanged grave,bewildered looks.

"Megan left me to stay with her father."

x.x.x

Gate 13 loomed ahead as she made her way through the terminal, her carry-on tote on one shoulder while her ebony hair drapped over the other.It was seven-thirty in the morning but she'd made it.

The night before had been a terrible,memorable one.She'd already packed all her belongings...just to pack them.Megan sat upon the edge of her bed staring at the open luggage and thinking very hard.

That was how she had managed all the pranks on her brother's for all those years,musing.By the end of three hours she had convinced herself that she had greatly upset her mother and wished to amend.

She had set out into the hall for their room to apologize when noise of someone moving downstairs aroused her curiosity and she had went down them to find the source.The source,to her immesne and utter disbelief,was her mother.Audrey had actually lit their fireplace.

Megan had assumed this part had been just an exaggeration.Not only was her mother not sorry for overracting,she did not possess enough faith in her daugther to trust that Megan wouldn't go off to see her father.Hurt,the girl had rounded back up the stairs swiftly.

Leaving behind the majoirty of her clothing,Megan carried her tote and loaded packback with her downstairs.Just as her mom was to chuck the ticket into the baby flames,she came up from behind her.

"Stop!You're suppose to be in bed."

Megan had had her mother by the wrists,driving the woman away from destroying the remainder of her father's letter to her.The two had fought back and forth,anger had been fueling Megan mostly as desperation to feed the ticket to the flames had been her mother's.

Finally and agonizingly for both of them,Megan had used her arm to thrust her back into the flagstone fireplace where only her back hit the top before Megan decisively fled the heart-sickening scene.

And would soon flee San Diego altogether.Upon glancing down at her ticket,Megan had discovered that her flight left that night.That was not right,the flight should've been scheduled for later summer!!

Thinking back on it now,Megan remembered she hadn't cared.She had just hailed a taxi cab and left for the airport.Now as she finally reached the end of the narrow section of deboarding,she hesitated.

What if he didn't come?She wasn't afraid or anything,what she felt was the beginning of what it was to be stood up.If her own family didn't care about her anymore,why would some stranger of a dad?

Megan felt like she had when she'd packed all that luggage;an idiot.

"Sweetheart?"

A slightly surprised voice spoke.She instantly looked to see a man leaning on a white pillar tillting his head in observation of Megan.He was relatively unkept,but his rugged good looks and ravenish hair made up for the now more noticably subtle lack of fashion sense.

His face was much like her brother Drake's only built to accustom a larger man.Despite his large,almost burly stature,he looked at her with soft eyes.Eyes that felt comforting and assuring all at one time.

"Mr. Parker?"She asked,assuming a polite tone nonetheless.

He gave her a smile of straight,nearly white teeth."Very formal."

"Why did you schedule this flight so early?"Megan pushed past the small talk."After eight years,this is kind of sudden and unexpected."

"It is."Andrew's smile lessened into a smaller one."But then,despite all those facts,you came anyways.That was something I expected."

At that moment she found herself smiling too,Megan liked this guy.

To be continued...


	3. Proposal

Drake could hear the voices drifting up from the vent down in the living room as his parents and the policemen conversed privately with one another,all the time while sitting by his window thinking.

There wasn't much he remembered about his real father,the man had been so busy at his factory job that it was more sometimes a home to him then with his wife and son.But Drake did remember the way his mother felt.Pain.Many a night she would stay up late.

By the phone or with the TV on.

"Hows Mom holding up?"He asked when the door opened.

"I've never seen her so hysterical,"Josh said worriedly,going to sit on the arm rest of the couch."What has your father done to her to make her so crazy with anger?Did he abuse her or cheat on her?"

Drake shook his head,trying to jog his memory."It's not any of the above.Dad didn't do _anything_ to her.Or...do anything _with _her."

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying,"he finally turned toward his brother."He hurt my mom in the worse way possible,he ignored her.He got to a point where he never said two words to her and finally Mom got him to leave."

"They said they're going to try tracing all records they can over that name,Andrew Parker."Josh tried to assure him."We will find her."

Suddenly,a small thought tugged at Drake's memory.Something a long time ago his father had told him,like a proposal or something. But Drake remembered rejecting it in a dismissive way.It was the only real memory Drake had of his father ever asking him anything.

And if he could only remember,maybe it could help find Megan.

"I'll try running a search on him myself."Josh said.

x.x.x

"So,what do you think of my little set up here?"Andrew asked.

The door he opened up for Megan lead into a studio apartment in about the center of the tall complex.It's wide walls were used as a canvas with oceanic settings and lush,sprawling green landscapes.

"Very...arsty."she commented in a impressed note,stepping into the lower square of the living room.to take it all in."You painted them?"

Her father smiled modestly in response and surveyed the big space of room.Three window doors panneled the right side,where a small kitchen was parallel to the right.A worn,leather sofa sat in the very center of the sunken level of lamented floor she sat her pack onto.

"Oh,here."he ushered her toward a large room."Set your things here in the bedroom.I don't like anything on my couch,including pillows."

Megan watched him approach her with his hand coming down for her things and nearly picked them back up herself,but let him at the last moment.She watched with slight unease as he walked on back.

"Mr. Parker,where are you going to sleep?"

"The couch,I never much cared for my own room.Too confining."

Everything was slowly placing Megan in a less comfortable position now.The ride over from the airport and to his home had been a fun one to say the least,she had found that they shared a lot of interests.

It was pretty obvious her father had fallen on rough times and this made her wonder,how would he provide for both himself and her?

"Come sit down with me a moment."He said suddenly.Megan gave a little jolt of surprise and rose her eyes over to see him on the end of the couch,patting on a cushion at arm's length."We need to talk."

She nodded with equal need and sat down facing him only a couple of feet away.The admiration in his eyes had grown more thoughtful.

"You seem like someone who likes to achieve,Megan.Someone in which would set a long-term;maybe a life time goal.Am I correct?"

"That's right,you can't really gain anything if you can't plan it out."

His interest in her increased still."Good,very good.Just the answer I wanted to hear.Tell me,have you ever heard of the arachnid man?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know,"he grinned easily."A man who has spider-like abilites?"

Megan smiled half-heartedly."Well,yeah.Everyone has.But where I live more people know it's just a hoax.Kind of like flying saucers."

"Yes,but stay with me for a moment Megan."Andrew drew a long, patient breath in and turned to her seriously now."I trust you and I really want you to be able to trust me when I tell you how much we can help each other.If we cooperate together,we will both achieve."

She sat back a little."Cooperate,with what?"

He turned more her way but kept at a respectful distance."I want us both to be a team,Megan.I want to be able to give you things I was never able to give you before.But I am going to need your full help."

"With _what_?"

"With helping me complete a total of sixteen years of research and development."his placid mood was back."I need you to undergo a bit of a transistion for me,dear.One that will change our fortunates."

Megan drew her brow together,unconvinced."Go on."

Andrew suddenly came very close to her face."Genetic splicing."he backed up immediately once she moved back."The genetic splicing of spider and human genes,Megan.Think of all the possiblites,dear."

"What..."she pushed herself up onto the armrest."Like Spiderman?"

"Exactly."An excitedness overtook him."Megan,he holds the DNA I and a few other created.The greatest goal I have met for myself."

"_What _are you talking about?"This whole discussion was crazy.

"It's true.It's all very true like it or not.You children were too young and my partners children too old.So I thought,why not my nephew? I didn't know where he lived,but I knew what school he attended.

We were living here in New York at the time when I heard he was going on a field trip by the school's newspaper editor.So,we were able to smuggle in a geneticly-altered anarchid and my nephew had an _accident_.I would've spoken with him had I not been betrayed."

Megan sat back down on the couch when Andrew stared intensely over at the kitchen counter,secrets surfacing from his soul's depths.

"It's hard for me to trust people,Megan."he turned to her sadly."But I trust you.My nephew,Spiderman,got away before I could explain things to him.But now,I am now able to explain everything to you."

She looked down at her laced hands."I need someone who is right there between childhood and adulthood.Someone young enough to be taught and yet someone mature enough to deal with situtations."

"What do you want me to do?"

"To accept my love and devotion toward you,that's all."he reached over and patted her arm."I'll let you absorb this much tonight.You have the free roam of the rooms.Would you like something to eat?"

"No,I'll just go to bed."Without another word,she got up and went to shut herself in the bedroom.He wanted something from her,that had been obvious from the time they sat down.But what could it be?

And,more importantly,how did it coincide with this Spiderman?

x.x.x

The abrupt knocking on the front door awoke May Parker from her noon nap.A bit dazed,she rose up from her recliner and padded up to the steel-reinforced door to look out the peep hole to see a man.

He was dressed in a trench coat,wearing sunglasses and what might have been a detective's hat.The elderly woman looked to see that she already had her hand over a bronze key hanging on a bent nail and sighed.She remembered all too well about men in trench coats.

Taking out a noise simulator from her robe pocket,she pressed the button at the right-hand top and a low snore emitted from it noisely.

Aunt May smiled shrewdly,placed it down in the recliner and went to fix herself a pot a tea.She was feeling parital to a cup of jasmine.

**A/N:**Not extremely exciting yet,I know.Stay with me,it gets better.

LP


End file.
